Beginning in 2019, General Motors (GM) will replace its vehicles’ Apple CarPlay and Android Auto infotainment systems with a new built-in infotainment system developed in collaboration with Google (via Reuters).
GM owns the Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands in the United States. Beginning with the 2024 Chevrolet Blazer, which goes on sale this summer, it will no longer offer Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as an option for the vehicle’s infotainment system. The company has plans to continue offering Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in its combustion models, which are anticipated to be phased out by 2035 in favor of electric vehicles. However, the company has no plans to offer these features in its electric vehicles. Owners of pre-existing GM vehicles equipped with either Apple CarPlay or Android Auto can continue using those particular infotainment systems.
Since 2019, GM and Google have collaborated on developing infotainment software that seamlessly integrates with various other vehicle systems, including navigation and GM’s Super Cruise driver assistant. Future infotainment systems from GM will have applications like Spotify and Audible, and iPhone users will still be able to use Bluetooth to listen to music and make phone calls. Buyers of electric vehicles will additionally have free access to Google Maps and Google Assistant for eight years after making their purchase.
This move is anticipated to assist the automaker in gathering more data about how consumers drive and will speed up a strategy to encourage vehicle-related digital subscription services. Apple’s list of automakers that intend to offer the next-generation CarPlay experience does not include General Motors, which is notable in and of itself.
